Tortured Souls
by ShanteRenee
Summary: Cynthia is Mary Alice Brandon's little sister. She loves Alice more than anyone in the world, and will stop at nothing to find out what is happening to her sister when she notices subtle differences in Alice's behavior. Better summary inside! R&R Please!
1. Prolouge

**Hey everyone! I've decided to start another fanfic! Here's the summary:**

**Cynthia, if anyone remembers from New Moon, is Alice Cullen's human sister. This fic is going to be Pre-Twilight. Cynthia and Alice are closer than ever. But when Alice starts acting different, and slowly slipping away, what will Cynthia do? It's up to Cynthia to save her sister, before it's too late.**

**This NOT the first chapter. Its just a Prolouge. If no one is interested in this story, then I won't bother continuing.**

**Prolouge**

I stared hard at the board. There was only two possible moves left, and one of them would surely compromise me. If I moved my bishop instead of my knight, I had a chance. My hand hovered over the bishop, and then I paused. Just a second too long.

"Ahh…tsk tsk." The brunette in front of me shook her head in mock disapproval, before flashing a set of perfect white teeth at me.

I decided to move the knight instead of the bishop…but what if it was a trick? I decided to go with my gut. I moved my knight, and then stared up at her.

"Beat that!" I challenged, smiling back at her.

"Okay." She said simply. She then moved her rook, and grinned. "Checkmate!"

I groaned. I should have seen that coming. "Alice! You cheated!"

She smiled, and shook her head, causing her dark brown hair to ripple across her shoulders. "I did not. I simply used this." She used her index finger to tap her temple.

"No fair." I pouted, jutting my lower lip out and sticking out my chin a knot. No matter how many times I tried, I could never beat her.

"Better luck next time." She smiled wider, and winked at me. "I think we should get ready for dinner. You know mom will yell at us to do it anyways pretty soon."

I nodded. She knew mom so well. Actually, my sister was fairly right about most things. She had an uncanny knack for just knowing.

Sure enough, not even a full five seconds had passed before our mother poked her head around the corner and eyed us. "Good, you girls are cleaning up. I was just about to tell you guys to get cleaned up. Dinner's almost ready."

"Ok." Alice and I said in unison. I picked up the plastic bag and held it out for my sister. She held the chessboard at an angle over the table, and used her hand to coop the pieces into the bag, before placing it on the table.

"Thanks." She said as we stood up. "I'll race ya to the bathroom!" She had already taken off before she finished the sentence. I was right behind her.

"Girls! No running in the house!" Our mother shouted from the kitchen. We we're giggling hysterically as we proceeded to wash our hands.

"What's so funny?" Our father asked as he walked past the door. When I looked up at him, Alice flicked water in my face.

"Hey!" I yelled, wiping my face on my shirt sleeve.

"Ha!" She laughed, and ducked under our dad and skipped away before I could react.

"Woah," My dad stuck out his hand to stop me from following. "You know how your mother is, Cynthia. Please don't run in the house."

I groaned, and made a face. "But Alice—"

"—_Mary_," He corrected. Our parents preferred to call their daughter by her real name. Alice always said she preferred her middle name instead of her first name. "—knows better, and so do you. Are you always going to do everything you see your sister do?" He asked sharply, disapproval in his tone.

_If I could, I would. _I thought. Alice was absolutely the best sister in the world, without a doubt. She and I rarely fought, and we did everything together. We we're extremely close, which was odd for our age differences. Alice is 17, and I'm 14.

Alice wasn't the average moody 17 year old. She was always smiling, always happy. That's what I loved most about her. No matter where she went, Alice always brings her own sunshine.

"No dad," I huffed, just to pacify him. "Sorry."

"Hm." He nodded, and dropped his hand.

Dinner was quiet, as always. Our parents preferred it this way. Young ladies were to be seen and not heard, according to them .It drove Alice and I crazy. Silence was not normal for us.

"Alice, would you please pass the potatoes?" I asked sweetly, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing when Alice made a face at me and winked. This was our loophole, and she already knew what my plan was. My parents strongly discouraged calling my sister Alice. Sometimes I think they regretted giving her that as a middle name. If I didn't call her Mary, it bugged them. She said it didn't matter what we called her, it didn't bother her. Nothing ever did, of course.

"Sure, Cynthia!" She replied, just barely hiding the smile in her voice. "Would you like anything else?" She asked politely.

"Hm…I'm not sure just yet, Alice. What about you? Would you like anything?"

Our parents exchanged annoyed glances but said nothing, and silently chewed their food. We continued like this until our plates were full.

* * *

I wish I could say that we lived a simple, happy life. I wish I could say Alice and I remained close, and my parents eventually accepted her as Alice Brandon, but life doesn't quite work that way.

Little did I know, the Alice I knew would slowly start slipping away before my eyes. She would become nothing but a shell. I would have to do everything in my power—which wasn't that much—to save her from herself, before it was too late.

**What did you think? =] Review!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Kinda long A/N but it's WORTH it i promise! **

**You need know some stuff! First off, Have you ever noticed how close bella and alice are? Isabellclair [an amazing writer, by the way] pointed out to me that the reason why they are so close MIGHT be because maybe Alice subcontiously is reminded of her human memories...No one knows of course, but keep this in mind. Cynthia is not like Bella, but she has some of the same qualities. Also! I had to make this story a little more modern. this is supposed to take place in 1916, but back then, they didn't have phones, [affordable] cars, or much of anything. I need that for the story to work. So, compromise. ;) Just remember that all of this is before alice even knows about the cullens. She is still ALL human here. **

**ENJOY!**

Chapter 1

"Happy Birthday Cindy!" Alice's sweet voice floated into my room. I heard her skip over to my bed, humming happily, as always.

"Ah, _Al-ice!" _I groaned, and pulled the covers tighter over my head. I clamped down on them firmly when Alice tried to take them off.

"Aw, come on Cynthia, today is going to be great! It's going to be fun!" She mused.

No, it wasn't. Unlike my sister, I did not look forward to birthdays. So I got a year older, so what? I didn't see the big deal that everyone made about it. I wanted to grow up, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't like a fuss over me. Alice did. And if she had her way, she would make a big fuss over today. So like I said, it was _not _going to be a fun, great day.

"We're going to be late to school." She reminded me. I had no choice but to get out of bed. I huffed loudly, but still did not move.

"You're wasting time, Cindy! We still need to do your hair…oh! And your makeup, of course…" Alice was practically bouncing in place.

"What? No. Absolutely not, Alice. You know I do not do makeup, or anything of the sort."

Although we were close, Alice and I were quite different. I loved the rainy, wet, cold days; where I could curl up on the couch with a good book. Whereas Alice preferred the sunny, warm days; where she could skip around the yard as she planted tons of flowers everywhere.

I had to look away from her bright blue eyes when she made a puppy dog face. I hated that. I was a sucker for the puppy pout, and she knew it.

"Alice, _please_!" I begged, already sighing in defeat. You can't win against Alice.

"I know. I'll play you for it. Rock, paper, scissors. If I lose, I'll leave you alone, promise." She grinned widely when I did not answer. I narrowed my eyes at her, and frowned. I was never any good at that game. Alice knew that too.

"You know I'm awful at that game, Alice. I hate it. We both know who would win."

"You're right. So, let's just say I win. Brilliant!" She clapped her hands together excitedly. "I'll be waiting downstairs! Hurry up!" Before I had a chance to protest further, she dashed out the room.

I trudged out of bed, and began to make it up. My mother hated clutter, and would go hysterical if I left my room in a mess. Although she wouldn't know, really, because my parents went to work before we woke up in the mornings, and didn't return until late at night.

I brushed my teeth, and washed my face, before heading downstairs. Alice was in the process of placing two omelets on plates, which were already full of bacon and hash browns. We never had omelets, hash browns, and bacon in the mornings. We never had time.

"Alice? What time is it?" I knew we didn't have time for all of this. We had to walk to school, and normally that took about 30 minutes. (Although Alice was old enough to drive, our parents could only afford one car.)

"5:45." She answered nonchalantly as she popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. I gawked at her.

"What?!" I shrieked. I normally didn't wake up until 7, since we didn't leave the house until 8. Was she insane?

"We need time to do everything." Apparently she was. I continued to stare at her like she had lost her mind. I did not need that much time to get ready, by any means. She simply shrugged and turned around to dump the pans into the sink.

"I'll let you pick out my outfit, and do my hair today, Alice. But _no_ dresses, and I don't want pigtails." I warned her; as I sat down to eat. She had just finished washing the dishes, and turned to hand me my plate. The look she gave me was one of displeasure.

"Why must you be so unreasonable, Cynthia? I've already found the most gorgeous pink silk dress…"

"—I don't have a pink silk dress, Alice." And if I did I would have burned it. I bit down into my hash browns, and began to slice up my omelet.

"It's my old dress. I can't fit it anymore. It would look perfect on you!" She chimed. I snorted. I was willing to bet this house that the dress still fit Alice. She'd weighed the same for almost 5 years, I doubt that was changing anytime soon.

For the next 15 minutes, Alice and I continue to argue about what I was going to wear, and what I would look like. We finally decided that I would wear a sweater with a knee-length skirt. Since it was October, it wasn't too cold or too hot, but even this was pushing it for me. I had grudgingly agreed because I would rather the skirt over a dress. The dress would be way too long on me, and I would undoubtedly be tripping all over the place. Dress or not, I was perfectly capable of being a klutz on my own.

I didn't budge on the makeup, and it was Alice's turn to grudgingly agree to just lip gloss and eye shadow, or nothing at all.

We finished breakfast, and Alice cleaned up for me. Since it was my birthday, she took my chore duties, and ordered me upstairs to take a shower.

It had been almost an hour since Alice had woken me up, and she buzzed around me, attempting to perfect my hair. I remained seated on the bed, and stared moodily at the wall with my arms folded. It was a relief when my mother called to wish me a happy birthday, with my father's best wishes as well. (I hadn't expected him to call, he never did.) Alice let me get up while she tried to find the perfect shade of lip gloss. I watched her skip out the room as I greeted my mother.

"How did you know I'd be up?" I asked my mother a short while into the conversation. She laughed quietly.

"We figured Alice would wake you up earlier today. I'm surprised she let you sleep this long."

It was my turn to laugh. "I wish mom. I've been up since about 5:30."

"Wow."

"Yea, I know."

"Well, at least you guys can get an early start to school."

"Yea." Oh joy, that's great. I could hear Alice in her room, digging through her make up kit.

"Well, I'll see you later. I must be getting back now."

"Okay," I replied, as Alice came back, "See you later, mom."

I clicked the phone off, and then groaned in horror when I saw that she had 5 different shiny, glittery bottles and tubes in her hand. This was going to be a long morning, and an even longer day.

* * *

I stared at the Barbie looking back at me in the mirror in disbelief. I was not looking at Cythnia Marie Brandon. She was lost somewhere under all this makeup and clothes. I had to give it to her, my sister could work wonders.

"What do you think?" Alice whispered from behind me. She looked at my reflection in the mirror, and I could tell she was holding her breath. This had to be the most tense I'd seen her all morning.

"It's…I, wow. Alice, you should be beautician or something, you're amazing."

"Thanks," She beamed.

We were out the door 20 minutes later, and headed off to school. I hated walking to school, but walking with Alice always made it better. We would play tons of stupid little games, and laugh at things that weren't all that funny. That is, until we went about two blocks, and ran into her friends. At first, they would occasionally tag along with us on the way to school, but it was definitely a routine thing now, much to my displeasure. Amber, Heather, and Scott. All seniors, just like Alice. I liked Amber, but Heather and Scott were annoying at times. They found me annoying as well, so we had a mutual understanding.

"Hey guys!" Alice waved frantically as soon as she spotted the group waiting in front of the little coffee shop. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey Alice," Scott said when we got closer. He glanced down at me, and raised his eyebrows. "So your sister's a princess now or something?"

I clenched my hands into fists, but kept quiet. I didn't think Alice would like it very much if I gave Scotty boy a broken nose.

"Aw, I think she's cute! If she had blond hair, she could be just like me. Almost. You can't imitate perfection." I rolled my eyes. Who in their right mind would want to be like Heather?

"Did you lose a bet, Cynthia? I know you would never wear this…" Amber didn't laugh or mock me, and for this I was grateful. She gave me a look of pity, before glaring at Scott and Heather, who shrugged.

"Uh," Alice bit her lip, and shot me a questioning look. It was the 'Can I please tell them, pleaseeeee?' look. I had made that a part of our deal too. She couldn't tell anyone today was my birthday. But then a sudden thought occurred to me: how was I going to explain why I was dressed up? I huffed, and nodded slightly. I swear Alice must have jumped 5 feet into the air.

"Yes! So, guys, today is Cynthia's birthday!"

Like I said, today was going to be a long, long day.

**What did you think? Review! **


	3. Chapter 2

**I've been busy christmas shopping and such. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE! Here's my present to you guys, a new chapter! Enjoy. **

**Chapter 2**

School was, more or less, painful. It was a relief when Alice had to leave me to go to her classes. I was beginning to tire of Scott's useless attempts of flirting with my sister. Alice never really seemed to notice, and Scott never seemed to get the message.

We stopped halfway in the courtyard, it being our usual parting place. Heather mumbled a goodbye before half dragging Scott along with her to their class. He waved, but Alice didn't notice. She was gazing thoughtfully at Amber. I glanced at Amber, who was dressed in a red sweater that clung loosely to her shoulders, with a pair of jeans. Alice noticed this too.

"Amber, you look fabulous! I can't believe I didn't notice earlier…ah, where did you get it?" Amber blushed, and glanced down at herself and shrugged. Before she could answer, Alice started again. "I know the perfect pair of earrings that would be—"

"Alice." I held up my hand to stop her before she could bombard poor Amber any further. "We have to get to class, remember?" I pointed to the invisible watch on my wrist. Suddenly Alice's smile vanished, and she grimaced.

"Class. Right." She tore her gaze away from Amber, to stare at me. "Be careful today, Cynthia." She whispered, smoothing out my hair as she spoke.

"It's _school,_ Alice, what's the worst that could happen?" I shook my head at her. She was turning more and more into mother every day, always worrying.

"Just, be safe, okay? I just...I have a feeling." She shrugged, and then gave a quick wave before turning back to Amber.

"So, like I was saying…"

I shot Amber one last apologetic look before heading to my class. I was still thinking about what Alice had said as I made my way to my first period: biology. I don't really care for it, but I'm pretty good at science.

I was early for class, so I eagerly took the seat in the back. I hated being upfront, where Mr. Tanner could see everything I did. Soon, people began filing in. It was Monday morning, so the class was still half asleep. I was absently paying attention to Mr. Tanner's lecture about the anatomy of frogs. Today we were dissecting them.

Frogs. When I was little, I use to think that if you kissed a frog, he would turn into a prince. I remember I would jump every time I saw one. To me, they had cooties. Boys had cooties, so did frogs.

"Ms. Brandon, did you hear me?" Apparently I hadn't. Mr. Tanner glared at me over his silver-rimmed spectacles as he stood over me, waiting.

"Sorry sir, what did you say?"

"I asked how does a glottis pertain to a frog? What is and where is it located?"

I tried not to smirk. Mr. Tanner thought he was about to embarrass me in front of the class, when I actually knew the answer. I decided to humor him.

"A glottis, sir?"

Now it was his turn to smirk, as he used his index finger to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. When he next spoke, his voice was thick with satisfaction. "This is why you people need to pay attention! Take a moment to learn from Cynthia's example."

On second thought, why pass up a good opportunity when it's staring at you in the face? I narrowed my eyes at his back as he turned away and started to walk down the aisle. I cleared my throat and smiled sweetly, to keep my voice from shaking with the anger I felt.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tanner. I didn't know that you had another student by the name of Cynthia. I know you couldn't possibly be referring to me. If you were referring to me, sir, I would have to say, with all due respect, that you are mistaken. I know that a glottis is a tube located inside the mouth of a frog. This tube leads to their lungs."

There was a short, stunned silence before everyone began to snicker. Mr. Tanner looked like a deer caught in headlights. Good. I widened my smile.

"Yes, ah, you are correct Ms. Brandon." He looked like he was about to say more, but thought better of it, because he closed his mouth and continued walking back to his desk. Ten minutes later, we we're all being given a set of gloves and utensils.

I was one of the first ones out of class when the bell rang. I walked quickly to second period, because it was my favorite class. Physical Education. I doubted P.E could be considered a subject, but if it was, I was the best in it out of all others. I changed in the locker room, and walked into the familiar gym. The steady humming of people talking, along with the dribbling of basketballs created a steady rhythm. I waited until attendance had been called, and then wandered over to the basketball rack. Just my luck, there no balls left.

"Hey." I closed my eyes, and fought against the urge to turn around and swing. I knew that voice anywhere. I turned around slowly, to see Kevin Martin grinning down at me. He was grinning his stupid, big grin. In his hands, he lightly tossed a basketball back and forth.

"I couldn't help but notice you looking for a basketball. It's a shame I got the last one isn't it?" He sneered.

"Yea, it is." I muttered. I could not stand Kevin. Never have, and never will. He was he definition of aggravating. He loved it. Anything that bothered me pleased him to no end.

"Hm." He sighed dramatically, making his shoulders drop with the fake effort. "I wish there was some way I could help you…" His voice trailed off as he threw the ball up in the air and caught it.

I knew what he was doing. I refused to give him the satisfaction of getting under my skin. I smiled sweetly at him, just like I had done Mr. Tanner.

"Actually , Kevin," I began, "how about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" He blinked, clearly shocked. It wasn't the sarcastic retort he was expecting from me. "Uh…what kind of deal?"

"I'll play you for it." For a brief second, I wished I could be like Alice. If only I had any kind of luck at rock-paper-scissors, it might have been easier than what I was about to present. "Basketball. You, me. First one to five."

Kevin busted out laughing. He clutched the ball on his hip with his right hand and he clamped a rough hand on my shoulder with his left. He was still shaking with laughter when he tried to speak.

"Ba—basket—haha! Basketball? You're kidding, right?"

I glared at him, and shrugged his hand off my shoulder.

"Oh…" He straightened up, "You're serious?" The blank look of shock reappeared on his face. I widened my smile.

"If you're scared to play me…" I shrugged, waiting for his reaction.

"I am not!" He cried indignantly.

"Then let's play." I retorted coldly.

"You're going down." He had no trace of humor left in his voice. He spun away from me and started walking toward the basketball hoop. He walked just outside the out of bounds zone before spinning around to face me. His expression was heard. He threw the ball to me with force.

"Check." He muttered.

I threw the ball back twice as hard.

"Check back." I smiled. This was going to be a good game.

**I know this chapter seemed pointless, but it was needed for the next chapter to make sense. The story will get better i promise! Please review! If you already reviewed to the sneak peek, then you can always leave an ANONYMOUS/unsigned review with the same username u left for the sneek peek signed review, and i'll be sure to get back to you! =]**

**Thanks everyone, and merry christmas/happy holidays!  
**


	4. Chapter 3 longest chapter yet

**So I know i've dropped off the face of the internett. But i was swamped with homework and stuff. But i'm back now..hopefully for good. You shouldn't have to wait that long for an update next time. I hope this makes it up everyone! It's my LONGEST chapter yet! =] **

**Enjoy, and again, sorry!  
**

Chapter 3

The game was nice. Kevin moved with a quickness, he thought on his toes, and he had skills. He wasn't as bad as I'd always imagined. Kevin Martin was pretty good.

But I was better.

He didn't like that too much. I guess that why he purposely elbowed me in the face when I attempted to do a layup, which would have been the winning shot. I don't remember what happened…one second, it was nothing but me, and the basket. Next, I have nurse Jenny, with her chalky double chin and wide-rimmed glasses peering over me.

I had to blink a few times before my vision refocused.

"Oh, Ms. Brandon, you're awake." Nurse Jenny observed, and jumped slightly. She pulled back from my personal space zone, and began to smooth down her outfit, looking flustered. "I was just checking your head and nose. Took a nasty fall there, you did."

"Hm." I mumbled, still trying to make sense of it all. My head was throbbing, and my nose felt numb. What _happened?_ I glanced around the room, seeing all the other students in worse conditions then me. It felt all wrong, being here. I hated hospitals. Ok, so this wasn't a hospital, but it was close enough. I could feel the sickness in the air, and it was suffocating. When I could no longer stand it, I glanced up at nurse Jenny and asked, "Can I go now?"

"Hm, let's see," She used the back of her hand to feel my forehead again, and then nodded. "How do you feel, sweetie?"

I shrugged. "I feel fine. So can I go?"

"I don't know…you took a nasty fall. Your head hit the bleachers, and knocked you out cold. I'm not sure you're fit to go anywhere."

I grimaced. I was _not_ about to stay cooped up in a school-hospital all day. School wasn't even halfway over! I took a deep breath, and it hurt a little. I winced.

"Are you okay, dear?" She asked, gently touching my shoulder.

"Yep. Can I please go?" I tried again, frowning at her. She stared at me for a minute or two, which irritated me. She seemed to be thinking it over in her mind.

"If you feel dizzy at any time during the day, I'd like you to report back here, understood?" Fat chance, I thought drily, but I just nodded in response. "Okay." She said, and reached into the pockets of her scrubs. I watched her pull out a little blue slip of paper and write a pass, and then right as she was about to hand it to me, she paused. "Perhaps I should add Mr. Martin's name too…" She was talking more to herself than me, but I answered anyways.

"What? He's here?" I asked, looking around. He actually had the guts to show his pathetic, cheating face?

"Oh yes," she nodded, as she scribbled his name on the pass. "Mr. Martin was kind enough to bring you here! You could barely walk; you were so out of it." She laughed, as if she was telling a funny joke instead of talking about my pain. I narrowed my eyes, but said nothing. "Yes, yes…," She continued, "You kept going on and on about some basketball lingo. I can't say I recall what it was you were saying exactly; I'm not so much into basketball myself." She shook her head, looking over me once more.

"Would you like your clothes, so you can change?"

Oh, right. I was still dressed out in my P.E uniform. I shrugged, not understanding. "Why would I change clothes when I'm going right back to P.E?" I asked, confused. That made no sense.

I watched her forehead crease in worry. "Dear, we are in third period now. I'm afraid you've missed the beginning of class. You were out for a little while. We were debating on calling your parents or a hospital when you started to come around. You're sister came to see about you, too."

"Alice? Alice was here?" I groaned. She would be upset.

"Mhm. She is your sister, correct?"

"Yes." I whispered, closing my eyes. I already knew what she would say. "Is she still here?"

"They both are, dear. Waiting just outside the lobby. I made them leave the room when you started to come around; didn't want you to be too surrounded." She pointed outside the room, and I craned my neck but saw nothing.

Nurse Jenny hands me my pass, and then checked my forehead again. She grimaced, as if she was going against her better judgment. Which she probably was. I hopped off the make-shift hospital bed and walked into the lobby. I glanced around for Alice or Kevin, but saw no one. Then I saw him. Well, I saw his back, but still. He was walking away from the clinic, towards gym. It was weird, because it was as if he knew I was watching. He paused, half-turned, and grinned his stupid grin; waved, and then continued walking. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he didn't see. He was too far away to probably see me do it anyways.

I huffed quietly, and glanced around the room. I spotted Alice sitting at the end chair, closest to the wall, fidgeting with her clothes. So, she was a bundle of nerves, great. I sighed, and started walking towards as I prepared myself for what I knew was coming. She jumped up immediately when she saw me.

"Cynthia!" Her voice was annoyed, and she rolled her eyes.

"Hey." I mumbled meekly.

"Ew." She said, scrunching up her nose in disgust. "You need to change." She stated, still recoiling from me. What was with everyone and me changing? There wasn't a school rule that required mandatory dress out! I could stay in my P.E uniform all day if I wanted.

"I'm fine." I muttered, not wanting to get upset.

"But, you have—you have _blood_ on your shirt Cindy."

Oh. That could explain it. I glanced down at my shirt, and sure enough, there was a few spots of blood; nothing to get worked up about. They were already dried up. But Alice hated blood. She couldn't stand the sight or smell of it.

"Oh. Right." I said.

"Didn't I ask you to be careful today?" She sighed impatiently, and then she huffed. "Why must you be so difficult?"

It was my turn to become annoyed. "Alice, do you really think I meant for this to happen?"

She was quiet for a moment, and then her shoulders dropped slightly. "I guess your right…" Abruptly, she was angry. "Ugh! But this ruins _everything!_"

So I've just learned one interesting fact: Alice's life revolves around me.

"Alice, what are you talking about?" I asked in an exasperated tone. Alice was so hard to figure out sometimes, it was impossible to even try.

Suddenly, Alice's cheeks are bright red as she blushes. "Well, uh, um…" she stammered. I waited. "I was sorta planning you a surprise party."

"Wah?! Alice!" I groaned loudly, which caused a few worried glances from Nurse Jenny, who was walking out of the makeshift hospital-like room. Alice bit her lip, and then gave me a shrug.

"It was going to be at Susie's shakes…on the way home today…" she trailed off as I narrowed my eyes. "But you a total mess now!" She tacked on, scrunching up her nose.

"Alice—" I started, but before I could get a word in, she perked up suddenly.

"Oh! That's it!" She began to do her bouncing in place thing again, while I huffed impatiently.

"What's it, Alice?"

"That boy, Kevin—"

"What—"

"You know, the one that just left." She waved her hand towards the window.

"You know Kevin?" I asked, utterly confused. Since when did she hang out with freshman? Besides me, of course.

"No," she shook her head, but she was still smiling.

"Then what—"

"As soon as he saw the door knob turning, just jumped up to leave. He said he was going to the gym to get you something you'd probably need!"

"Kevin's gone to get my clothes?"

I did not notice nurse Jenny had been eavesdropping, but she didn't hesitate to step in. "Oh yes, dear," she nodded from the counter a few feet away, "Kevin offered to go get them for you when he first arrived here with you, but I told him there was no need. But I hadn't expected you to stay in here so long. I thought you would have had enough time to make it back to gym…" She trailed off, looking at her nails. "Guess I was wrong…but isn't he just the sweetest thing? Such a gentleman!"

'Yeah, real sweet.' I thought dryly.

"So, this is great! The party's back on!"

"No, it's not."

"Why not?" She pouted.

"Because I don't want a party." I stated simply.

"Cindy—"

"No."

"Humph!" Alice folded her arms together tightly, and withdrew her lips to form a thin, angry line. Not even 5 seconds went by before she was smiling again, I'm assuming as another idea struck her. Again, with her random mood swings. She was looking over me, out the window. "Brilliant!"

Before I could say anything, I heard the door behind me ding open. I turned, and saw Kevin strolling in with a basketball in one hand and my clothes in the other. I narrowed my eyes into slits, and saw nothing but red. Of all the nerve!

"Hey." He said, smiling. Smiling! Kevin Martin just killed the majority of my day and he was _smiling._ Oh, that did it alright.

"You." I growled the word, so that it was barely understandable. His eyebrows shoot up in response briefly, before relaxing into a smooth mask.

"Yes?" His voice was still calm, cool and collected. This bothered me the most.

"Ooook then," Alice steps between Kevin and me before I have the chance to really give him a piece of my mind. She knew my tone, and she knew what it meant. She blocked my view of him, so I could do nothing but stand there fuming.

"It's Kevin, right?" She said sweetly to him. She should have yelled at him, or at least sounded mean. That was next to impossible for Alice, though.

"Yep."

"You helped bring my sister here, right?"

"Yes, I did." Kevin's voice was dripping with pride. Ugh.

"Well, thank you. She thanks you, too." Alice replied. I snorted.

"No problem. I brought back her clothes, too."

Alice moved aside, and I was presented with my clothes.

"I wasn't sure if these were yours when coach Mason handed them to me." He smirked, as he picked up my skirt, and held it up with his hand. I watched it unravel and flop midair, as he clutched my sweater in his other.

A little of my anger turned into embarrassment, and I didn't know what to say. "Hm." I mumbled.

"So, are these yours?"

"Yeah." His smirk deepened to a grin. My anger came flooding back. "Shut it, Kevin!"

"I didn't say anything."

"You're so—"

"Cynthia." Alice cut in, taking the clothes from Kevin, she handed them to me. "Enough. Go change, and I'll we'll go home." Her voice had that note of seriousness to it, which was rare. I knew not to argue with her.

"School's not over, dear." Nurse Jenny objected. I inwardly groaned. Home sounded good right now. I wanted to go home. Before Alice had a chance to say anything, I turned around to face nurse Jenny, and plastered a look of sickness on my face.

"On second thought, Nurse Jenny, I don't think I feel so good…"

"Hm." Her voice was skeptical. I guess my yelling and little tirade act didn't flow with my lie so well. Oh well.

"Please? We only have a little over an hour left nurse Jenny." I continued as I glanced at the clock above her head, attempting to reason with her.

"Okay, I guess. But you girls need to go straight home."

"Yes ma'am." Alice and I replied at the same time.

"And you ought to go back to class, Mr. Martin."

"Sure, sure, Nurse J." Kevin replied patronizingly.

"Go change, hurry!" Alice whispered to me when Nurse Jenny left to go see about another student.

"Why? We're going home."

"Yes, but—"

I thought about it for a second, and then turned to glare at her.

"We _are _going home, right Alice?" I questioned.

"Yes, we are…" She trailed off, before finally meeting my eyes directly. "But can we at least stop on the way and let everyone know that it's off?"

"Know that what's off?" Kevin asked curiously. I'd forgotten he was here.

"Nothing." I lied quickly, before receiving a glance from Alice.

"He doesn't know?" She whispered.

"Know what?" Kevin said, staring at Alice.

"He does now," I grumbled, glaring at her.

"Oh. Woops." Alice smiled innocently.

"Um, hello?" Kevin motioned to himself, with his left hand holding the basketball. It was then that he seemed to notice he still had it. "Oh, yeah, I brought this for you." He grinned suddenly, while I stared at him like he was stupid. He took in my expression and laughed. "What? I thought you might want to finish our game."

"Why don't you take that ball and—" Before I could make good with my threat, Alice intervened yet again.

"Stop. Cindy, you never answered my question. Can we do that?"

"Hey, wait, you guys still never told me." Kevin said suddenly, remembering his place in this all, which wasn't anything at all.

"And I don't plan too." I growled, wishing he would leave. "Don't you have class or something?" I said angrly.

"Nopee. Well, yea, but I'm an aid this period. Mrs. Marsha doesn't care." He shrugged. "So, what's going on?"

"Just tell him, he'll find out eventually." Alice suggested.

"Uh! Fine. …Today's my birthday." I mumbled.

"Nice, so, when's the party?"

"_There is not going to be a party_!" I hissed. Alice rolled her eyes at me.

"Well, we still need to at least wait for everyone, to tell them it's off."

I thought about this. "How are we going to do that? Everyone will be in school still."

"We'll wait, of course."

"Fine," I said grudgingly, "but we aren't staying for the party. The first person to get there can tell everyone else it's off."

Her face fell, but she nodded. "It will all be a waste…and you're in such pretty clothes!"

"I agree." I stared at Kevin in disbelief. I couldn't tell if he'd meant it or if he was being sarcastic.

"So, go change!" Alice ushered me into the nearest bathroom, and quickly stripped of my bloody gym uniform. When I went to slip the shirt over my head, I felt a sudden warm sensation as it passed over my nose. Oh, great. I glanced in the dirty spotted mirror and saw my fountain of red. I reached for some paper towels, and held my head back. Alice wasn't going to be happy about this.

**So, does this make it up a little bit? It doesn't? Well, how about this: I'm also going to be posting a super-duper [who says that anymore lol] long chapter of _The First Born, _my other fanfic! check it out if you haven't already! Don't expect it today though, it might not be ready until the weekend maybe. MAYBE. but it will be worth it, i promise. Again, i'm sorry for keeping everyone waiting!**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 4

**Cindy: Kevin is a jerk!!!  
**

**Shante: HAHAHA.**

**Cindy: I demand you edit him out at once, or I'm ditching this story!**

**Shante: Ok, i'll do it if you give me Twilight.**

**Cindy: Give you what?**

**Shante: Twi...oh. Nevermind.**

**Cindy: **Stares at Shante like an idiot****

**Shante: Stop looking at me like that.**

**SOOOO lol sorry. Its 1 AM over here, and im bored. lol. As I've just realized, maybe i should say this again: Cindy and Alice are living BEFORE the Twilight Saga came about...pre twilight. and its a bit modern. as in, i'm sure the kids don't talk and act the way alice and cindy do..IDK if they even had basketballs then?? lol. So, just remember this is all human, before mary alice brandon becomes alice cullen.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Swooping up my gym clothes, I held my head back as I reached for the doorknob, blindly grasping the handle. My vision was slanted, since my head was sideways; and I had a hard time making my way around the counter. Why do they make such oddly-shaped objects in this world? I sighed. This wasn't going to work. Huffing, I leaned my head forward at the exact moment Alice's eyes locked onto mine. She was standing next to Kevin, who was staring at me like…he'd never seen such a sight. Maybe this nosebleed was worse than I thought. I suddenly became self conscious.

"Cynthia!" She shrieked, causing Nurse Jenny to poke her head out of the makeshift-hospital room.

"Oh dear." She said, with worry in her voice as she glanced at me. Did I really look that bad?

"I'm fine, really." My voice came out distorted since I was still clutching the damp bundle of reddened paper to my nose. I blinked, trying my best to focus, because my vision was becoming a bit blurry—again.

"Cynthia, dear," Nurse Jenny piped, coming around the corner with a towel in her hands. "Perhaps you should sit down before you—Cynthia!"

My head was falling backwards, and it wasn't of my own accord this time. Next thing I knew, two hands were on my back, pushing me forward. Then they were gripping my arms. I blinked my eyes open—(when had a closed them?)—and found myself looking up into the face of none other than Kevin.

"See, I knew you'd fall for me, eventually." His lips were at my ear, and he whispered so low that I doubted anyone else had heard him. "Though I never took you for a literal kind of girl." I realized that his stupid grin was even more annoying upside down. I rolled my eyes at him, and attempted to get up.

"Whatever." I snapped, not sure of what else to do. He sounded serious, but again, this was Kevin Martin I'm talking about, nothing's ever serious with him. He made sure I could stand up straight before dropping his hands. Nurse Jenny was suddenly by my side again, holding a small waste basket.

"Here." She nodded towards it. "Trash that, and take this." She glanced at my wad of tissue and then nodded to the towel that was now hanging on her shoulders. "And then I want you to sit down for a bit."

"Uh! No, please Nurse Jenny, I'm fine, really!" I wined. But I knew arguing would get me nowhere with her, that much was clear by the look on her face.

"Cindy," Alice said, coming up to stand next to Nurse Jenny. "I think maybe you should too."

"Alice! Not you too!" I shook my head. She wrinkled up her nose and pointed to my clothes.

"Well, I can't go anywhere with you looking like that. It'll kill me."

I huffed quietly, knowing she was right. Alice would probably pass out if we had to walk home together. She couldn't take the sight or smell for too long. Not to mention the crazy looks we'd get in public no doubt. Although she would never actually say it, Alice would probably be mortified to be seen with me in public looking like this.

"So? What does that mean?" I demanded.

"It means you're stuck here with me, princess." Kevin grinned, winking at me. I glared at him.

"Just sit for five minutes dear, to clear your head." Nurse Jenny suggested. She was about to open her mouth to speak again when another kid inside the makeshift room called her name. She muttered a quick 'be right back' to us, before jostling out of the room.

"I want to go home!" I whispered, as soon as Nurse Jenny was gone.

"She's going to be in there for about five minutes. But she has a change of clothes in the cabinet at her desk. When she comes out, ask for them, and then we'll go home." Alice replied and I nodded. Kevin stared at her skeptically.

"How do you know?" He asked, eyeing her doubtfully.

"She just does." I said curtly, before Alice had the chance to reply. Kevin didn't need to know my sister's freaky talent of just being right about things. He wouldn't believe it anyway.

"And how do _you_ know?" He challenged, raising his eyebrows at me. I resisted the urge to yell at him, and I sighed instead. My eyes narrowed as I answered him.

"I just do." What part of that did he not understand?

"But how?" He probed, staring at me with interest. His head was titled to the side, like if I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. I noticed a single strand of his dark brown hair stood straight up in the center of his head. It was very annoying.

"Kevin!" I snapped, unable to take it anymore. He was like an annoying little fly that I wish I could just zap. Or smush. Or stomp. Whichever worked would be fine.

"Yes?" He said sweetly, mocking me.

"Will you _please_ stop?" I begged him. Well, not really. More of demanded with venom in my voice. Yea, more like that.

"Haha," He laughed, before nodding. "I think I'll go sit down now."

"What you _need_ to do is go to class." I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

"I will if you'll be the teacher," He whispered as he passed me to go sit down. I gasped, though I'm not sure if it was because of what he had said, or the fact that he'd heard me. I knew I hadn't said it that loudly. My quick intake of breath earned me a suspicious look from Alice. She glanced at Kevin's back and then at me, but said nothing.

I stood there for a second, trying to grasp where Kevin's new attitude was coming from. Was he serious? It was a wonder how Alice hadn't picked up on it. Not that it mattered, because I would be sure to set him straight, just as soon as I got the chance. Which wouldn't be now, since Alice was watching me like a hawk. She'd be the first to pick up on anything.

"Cindy, she's coming out, hurry up." Alice said to me. I quickly walked up to the counter, just as Nurse Jenny came back out.

"Do you feel a bit better, dear?" She asked, glancing at me. I wiped my finger under my nose, and drew it up, blood-free, showing her.

"Yep. No more blood, and I feel fine." I nodded. "But I, er, was kind of wondering…is there anything else I can wear?" I motioned at my second set of bloodstained clothes. She swept her gaze across the blood blotches and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, of course! Let's see.." She turned around, and—as Alice predicted—went to her draw at her desk. "I believe there was an extra gym uniform in here somewhere…oh yes, here it is. Looks like it's just your size, too." She came back and handed me a fresh pair of clothes.

"Thank you, Nurse Jenny." I said as I took them from her.

"No problem. They were bought by a student who ended up switching out of gym. Never been worn. The child never even came back to claim it! Just left it in the gym locker…what a waste of money, eh?" She shook her head, and her face was set in a frown. I just nodded. What a waste for them, but definitely a plus for me.

"Okay, so that's everything, then?" Alice's voice asked from behind me. I hadn't even heard her walk up, but it didn't surprise me. Alice moved so gracefully it should be a crime.

"Yes, I believe so." Nurse Jenny said, glancing at all of us. She then moved her head to look around us. "Kevin, dear. Don't you have a class to be in?"

I turned around and smiled at him with Nurse Jenny's words. It was an evil smile. He grinned, and I noticed he had small dimples in his cheeks. Huh, I had never noticed that before. It made him look cute. I blinked. Wait, what? Where did _that_ come from? I shivered slightly, and attempted to get my thoughts back on track.

"I'm an aid this period, ma'am." He answered politely.

Nurse Jenny frowned. "For who?"  
"Ms. Marsha." I turned to Nurse Jenny. Everyone knew Mrs. Marsha was a pushover. But maybe she'd still send him to class…

"Oh." She said simply, and shrugged. Really? That's it? Wow.

"Yep." He then directed his gaze to me and winked. My eyes narrowed, and I was tempted to stick my tongue out at him.

"Go change, Cynthia. I'll be waiting here." Alice commanded, and with that, she skipped over to the seats and sat down next to Kevin.

I grimaced, but went back into the bathroom to change for a second time. I walked out a few minutes later, and stopped dead in my tracks.

Alice and Kevin were talking.

Oh no.

This wouldn't be good. I knew it. But…Alice looked very interested in whatever Kevin was telling her, because she laughed suddenly. What was so funny?

I marched over to them with a frown creasing my forehead. "I'm done." I huffed.

"Great!" Alice broke her gaze away from Kevin to smile up at me. Her smile faltered slightly as she roamed over my outfit "Well, your _outfit _isn't great, but you know what I mean."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Alice. So, can we go?"

"Yes, but…" She trailed off, and glanced at Kevin. I glared at them both.

"But what?" I snapped.

"Kevin has a really good idea that he should take you home since we have a lot of time left before school lets out and everyone meets at the café and then I can stay and tell everyone that the party isn't cancelled and that you are just going home to change into something more comfortable—obviously—and then you guys can come back!" She gushed. I stared at her.

One: I didn't know it was possible to cram all that in one breath. Alice was good.

Two: What. The. Heck.

"No! Absolutely not!" I growled, and folded my arms in defiance. "I won't do it!"

"Cynthia—" She began.

"No." I said firmly, shaking my head.

To my surprise, Alice laughed. I was sure she would be getting ready to beg or pout.

"You were right!" She laughed and nodded at Kevin. He said nothing, but continued to smile.

"What?" I demanded, slightly annoyed.

"He knew—well, I knew too—that you'd never go for it. Which is why I've decided that we can just stay here. There's no need for us to go home."

Now it was my turn to pout.

"_Al-iceeeeuhh!_" I groaned out her name to emphasize my agony.

She laughed again. She turned to Kevin, absolutely beaming. "Wow, you really know her!"

Then it clicked.

Kevin.

He talked her into blackmailing me! He knew the exact second I figured it out, too. I think my eyes must have look like snake slits, because I know I could barely see—I was fuming.

"_You._" I breathed, and lunged at him.

He dodged my attack, and held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay! Calm down, jeesh." Clearing his throat, he took a step back (since he was now standing), and I plopped down in his old seat, and stared at him.

"It _is _a good idea. Alice says she'll be throwing you a party sooner or later anyway." He began, and I heard Alice's small 'hm' of approval as he continued. "So you might as well just let it be now, instead of later."

I huffed. Not only was I being blackmailed into a birthday party, but Kevin was now included in the mix. Oh, joy.

"So, what's your choice going to be?" He asked, with a cocky smirk on his face. I wished I could give _him_ a perfectly matching bloody nose.

When a few moments went by and I didn't answer, Alice spoke up.

"Nurse Jenna—"

"Jenny." I clarified.

"—whatever, will be back in about five minutes. So what's your decision?"

**Ehh, not the best cliffhanger, i've done worst in my opinion. HAHA. What do you think Cynthia will do? Review?**


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm not really on Hiatus, but I am updating infrequently because my life is a mess at the moment. I had a crappy day...I've been having some issues, and I simply don't feel like writing. I'm sorry. I will not abandon this story, so don't worry. Enjoy.**

**ALSO: I want everyone to remember this was back in the 'old days'. For this story, [since its mine] I want you to assume that $60 would be equal to about $200. K! And also, they don't just walk around with cell phones. The Brandon's only own one phone in their house! And in this story, owning a watch is a _big_ deal. *spoiler* Woops. sorry. lol. okay, enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 5**

"Fine!" I huffed, not in the least bit happy. Alice smiled smugly, and turned to Kevin. He was also smiling triumphantly.

"Alright, the question remains, how are we going to bust you out of here?" She asked him.

"We can't! So he should just stay!" I argued, feeling a flicker of hope. Maybe Alice would see reason.

"I…think I just came down with the same stomach flu that Cynthia has." He said smoothly.

"I don't have the stomach flu!" I snapped at him. He shrugged.

"You do now." He smiled at my disgruntled expression.

"Excellent!" Alice beamed, and then began humming quietly to herself. I don't know how long Kevin and I sat there and had a stare off, but when Alice cleared her throat, I looked up.

"She's coming." Sure enough, Nurse Jenny appeared a few moments later.

"Okay, well, we're going to be off now." Alice chimed, and Nurse Jenny nodded.

Once outside, I stomped moodily behind my sister and Kevin. With my arms folded, brows furrowed, and a frown permanently etched in my face, I was hoping they'd take a hint.

"You should go tell Mrs. Marsha about your…sickness." Alice suggested. "She'll ask how Cynthia is. Make sure you say—"

"—That you're a lying, cheating jerk that needs to—" I inserted, before being cut off.

"—that she felt so bad that I had to take her home, and nurse Jenny said its okay. Otherwise, she'll call Nurse Jenny for herself, and you'll be busted." Alice finished, as if I wasn't even there.

Kevin looked like he was about to object, but Alice shook her head. "Don't question me. Just trust me. Do it."

"Don't." I countered.

He smiled at me, and I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. "I'll be back." He promised, before turning around and jogging towards the math department.

It seemed as though he was back in no time, and he was grinning ear to ear.

"She fell for it. She thinks I'm sick as a dog." He smiled with satisfaction. I said nothing, but turned to stomp in the direction of my house. I heard them fall into step behind me. I sighed, annoyed.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked me, walking up on the left to keep up with me.

"I'm _not_ happy about this, you know!" I snapped as I stared moodily ahead. Kevin was now on my right hand side. He chuckled beside me, but didn't say anything. We continued walked for a few moments in stillness.

"What way do you take to get home, Kevin? Where do you live?" Alice asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"I live in Terrace Valley. Near the power company." He said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in the opposite direction. Alice nodded, and began humming cheerfully.

"So, how long until we get to this—café?" He asked after a second.

"About…15, 20 minutes." Alice shrugged, before shirting her glance to me and nodding slightly in my direction. "Cindy's the one that usually the one to keep up with the time. I prefer to live in the moment. But she's precise. That's why dad got her a watch."

"A watch!" Kevin exclaimed in amazement, before glancing at my empty wrist. "But—where is it?"

Before I had a chance to answer, Alice beat me to it. "At home, in a secret draw that she thinks I don't know about." She said easily.

I stared at her with open mouthed shock. "Alice!"

"What?" She asked innocently.

"You watched me hide it!" I accused, glaring at her.

"Nope, I didn't." She shook her head, and most of her long dark brown hair fell over her shoulders in the process.

"Then how did you—?" I stopped midsentence, not even needing to finish. I knew how she knew.

"I just knew where you'd put it." She said smugly. I huffed. Stupid weird sisters.

Beside me, Kevin was snickering. "What?" I snapped, irritated.

"Your sister _watched_ you hide a watch! Haha!" He laughed.

Dork.

I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to slap him.

"Shut up, Kevin." I mumbled. His laughs subsided, and came out as infrequent coughs. I shot him an icy glare. "Uh, so, how come you don't wear it?" He asked afterwards, not seeming to notice.

"It's not something you are supposed to wear outside every day." I told him.

"How much did it cost?" He asked curiously.

"Um," I hesitated. My dad had paid a lot of money for it. "$60." I mumbled.

"Wow!" Kevin's eyes nearly popped out of his face as he stared at me incredulously. "Woooweee." He whistled, "That's a lot!"

"I know." I mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"I wish I had me a watch!" He continued.

After that we walked in silence for a few moments, as we began to walk into town. Alice glanced sideways at me. "You need to fake a sick look, Cynthia. You too, Kevin. People will notice, and word will get back to our parents."

I frowned, noticing Mrs. Brunson from church glancing suspiciously at us through the window as we passed her shop. She would no doubt tell mother, since she never liked me much anyways. She thought I was too rude. Once, she had even gone to so far as to say that I ought to go to an all-girls school with her niece. The nerve of that woman!

"Alice," I hissed, "I can't keep my face contorted to look like that the whole time!" I pouted. "Can't I hold my hand to my stomach or something?"

Alice shook her head no, but before she could respond, Kevin spoke.

"Um…how are _you_ going to explain why you're not in school? Can't you get in trouble too?"

"Oh please," I cut in, waving my hand dismissively. "She just _knows. _Alice never gets in trouble. Alice never gets caught."

He seemed to think about it momentarily, before shrugging. I inwardly sighed, glad he let it drop. Alice nodded, smiling. "And besides, a lot of people fancy me as a college girl anyways."

"Ha!" I laughed.

Alice looked at me pointedly. "What? There's nothing funny about that."

"Mhm," I countered, giggling. I glanced at Kevin, and he was smirking too.

"Whatever." Alice huffed, before turning serious again. "But Cindy, you have to look the part. If not, we'll be busted for sure."

I rolled my eyes, and attempted to 'look sick'. Alice glanced down at me and smiled in approval. "Great!" She chanted. "Now just stay like that until we get there. It's only for a little while." She said.

"Hey, how's this?" Kevin asked, and he closed one eye and stuck his tongue out. Abruptly my face contorted into laugher.

"You look like someone's punched you in the stomach!" I said through hysterics. He grimaced but said nothing.

Ignoring me, he tried again. Alice nodded once again. "Mhm. That'll work."

"So 'ow mush long—ger?" Kevin's speech was now distorted because of his new facial expression. I bit down hard on my tongue in an attempt not to laugh. Then I felt the instant pain from biting so hard. I winced.

"Cindy, you're really looking the part." Alice commented cheerfully. I wanted to tell her that I had really just been in pain, but I said nothing. She then turned to Kevin, "We're almost there."

He nodded, and kept his face warped. I looked at him and shook my head. He caught my eye and winked. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. Instead, I turned my gaze ahead of me. I recognized a lot of people from church. Just like Mrs. Brunson, we were receiving skeptical looks from almost everyone who knew us. In this town, news traveled fast and I was positive my parents would demand and explanation the moment they walked through the door tonight.

"Alice," I breathed, as a thought occurred to me. "You know mom and dad will want to know what happened. But we will be asleep when they come home tonight…"

"Hm," Alice nodded, apparently she hadn't considered this. "Should we…call them?"

For the second time that day, I stared at my sister as if she'd lost her mind. Kevin also stared at her with open-mouthed shock. "Are you _insane?_" I whispered to her.

We were never allowed to use the phone, unless it was an absolute emergency. There were exceptions, of course. But normally our parents were the ones who were allowed to call _us_, whenever they thought it was important. But let's see…skipping-school-and-pretending-to-be-sick-and-trying-to-beat-your-neighbors-to-the-punch-by-calling-your-parents-first hardly counts as an emergency, right?

"Why not?"

Not according to Alice.

"What—but—ah—! How can you even—what's wrong with you? Don't you know, mom and dad said—ugh!" I threw my hands up in exasperation when my words failed to convey message. I hated when I got so wound up that I couldn't get my words out properly.

"Erm…what I think she's trying to say is, phone's are kinda…for emergencies. At least, that's what my parents tell me. I'm not supposed to use it. And judging by her reaction—" Kevin jerked his head to me, "—I think similar rules apply to you guys as well?" He said. I stared at him. How did he know exactly what I meant to say?

Freaky.

Again, he winked at me. What was with that? I stared between Alice and Kevin for a minute, before finding my voice again. "Exactly!" I cried. "What he said!"

"Well," Alice huffed, "I think this counts as an emergency, don't you?"

"Um, no, Alice." I said simply, shaking my head stubbornly.

"Do _you_ have any better ideas then?" She asked me. I slumped my shoulders, defeated by this question.

"Why can't you just tell them tomo—" Kevin began.

"They are always gone before we wake up and come home after we've gone to bed." I answered him, before he finished.

"Oh." He replied. "How about…you just write them a note before you go to bed tonight?" He suggested. "That way, they'll see it?"

"That's a great idea, Kevin!" Alice chirped, happy again.

"Yeah." I grumbled.

We continued walking silently through town for another five minutes before I spotted the little blue and white sign that said 'Susie's Shakes—the best in town!' at the end of the street. Suddenly, I really did feel sick to my stomach.

**Please review. IDK when the next update will be, but it shouldn't be too long of a wait. Again, I'm sorry! IDK if anyone noticed, but I tried to make cindy a bit like how Bella was in Twilight at the hospital--when Edward said he was leaving. And this is actually how the REAL Kirsten Stewart talks in alot of her interviews. She stutters out of nervousness. Did anyone pick up on this? =)  
**


	7. Chapter 6

**Just as I promised, here is your chapter ! Its a little later than I'd hoped but it is 2 DAYS later like I promised! :) See, i'm getting more time to write. I told you guys I would! I kept my promise! :) I'm proud. You should be too. ENJOY!**

Chapter 6

"We're here!" Alice chirped a few minutes later. I could feel my pulse race as I glanced at the café entrance. The sign above the door was beginning to chip at the edges, and fading from the sun. Even though we were just outside, I could hear laughter and talking coming from inside.

"Well, I have to use the bathroom really quick. I'll be right back." Kevin said, before disappearing into the café.

"So," Alice smiled down at me the moment he was out of sight. "Do you like him?" She wondered.

I groaned and closed my eyes. "No."

"Are you sure?" She pressed, unconvinced.

"Yes." I said in a muted tone, wishing this conversation would end.

"Why not?" She huffed, glaring at me.

"Alice!" I hissed, "Can we _please_ not do this?"

"Well, I like him." She continued sweetly, as if she hadn't heard me.

"Good for you, then." I said through clenched teeth, as I folded my arms moodily.

"No! I mean for you. I like him for you." She clarified, misinterpreting my anger for jealousy. Before I could respond, the smirk that was playing on her lips vanished. "Cindy?" She whispered softly, before turning serious.

"Yea?" I wondered what was the cause of her sudden change in voice.

"You'll be okay?"

"What?" I blinked, confused.

She was silent for a few moments, and gazed to her left for another minute while nervously biting her lip.

"With him…alone…on the way to our house? Do you trust him to walk you home? Because if not, I can always—"

I cut her off with a wave of my hand. "Alice, no! You worry too much. Though I wish he wasn't here at all, I'll be okay." I assured her. She smiled in response, and it didn't quite reach her eyes. I could tell she had not been convinced. "Alice—" I started.

"Okay, I feel _sooo_ much better now! I'm ready!" Kevin's voice came from behind us, and nearly made both of us jump. Turning, we saw him walking towards us. Alice quickly whispered to me.

"I don't have a good or bad feeling about him, Cindy, so I have no idea what to make of him. Please be careful."

I could only nod, because Kevin had come to a complete stop in front of us, grinning widely. Alice gave me one last meaningful glance before nodding and then stepping inside. As soon as she was gone, I looked at Kevin, who was still smiling.

"So, where to Princess?"

"Don't call me that." I snapped, rolling my eyes as I stalked forward. Kevin smirked as he fell into step beside me.

"Why not? I like it." He countered.

"Well, I don't."

"But today's your birthday. All girls are princess' on their birthday." He said simply.

"My name is Cindy. That's it. Call me anything else and I'm liable to choke you." I threatened him, while I glared ahead.

"I like to see you try. It would be entertaining, at least." He mused.

"Don't tempt me." I growled.

"You just want to use that as an excuse to touch me, Princess."

I stopped in my tracks and spun around to face him. "What!" I yelled in his face. As I expected, he did not recoil or flinch. He just stood there with his stupid smirk as he looked at me. My nostrils flared, and I had to remind myself to breathe. This boy was going to drive me insane.

"Admit it. You like me."

"Are you insane?" I screamed. By this time, we were on the dirt road that was closer to my house, and farther away from nosy townsfolk. "Did you hit your head too?"

"Nope. I'm fine. You?" He asked causally, which only angered me that much more. I coiled my hands into fists beside me, but said nothing in response. Kevin glanced down at my hands and smiled.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you? I thought it was just gym class that always had you upset. Are you always like this?" He asked curiously, titling his head as he looked at me.

"Only when I'm around obnoxious idiots." I grumbled, narrowing my eyes at him. "Much like yourself."

"Aw, you don't mean that." He smiled, and I resisted the urge to slap him. Instead, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Deciding not to answer him, I turned around and continued home. Maybe Kevin could have stayed at the diner. I was perfectly capable of making the trip home by myself.

"So, why didn't you want anyone to know today was your birthday?" He asked behind me.

"It's not a big deal." I shrugged. "Nothing to celebrate, really."

"Your birth is definitely something to celebrate, Cindy." He murmured.

There was a tense silence before I shot a sidelong glance at him. But he looked deep in thought, as if something heavy was weighing on his mind. I was partly annoyed with myself for wondering what I was that could be bothering him. Why was it bothering _me?_ What did it matter to me? I huffed.

"Sorry, but it's true." He said suddenly. I looked at him, and then suddenly remembered our conversation.

"What? Oh. No…it wasn't what you said…uh, thanks, I guess."

"Yeah," Kevin laughed suddenly, and he sounded nervous. "Of course," He said a bit louder, with a bit of sarcasm in his voice, "Because, you know—If you weren't born, I would have no one to beat in basketball."

"You mean _cheat_ in basketball. Because you certainly did not beat me."

"I distinctively remember winning."

"Before or after I was unconscious?" I demanded.

"Hm…" He ran a finger along his chin, as if he was actually thinking about it. "Midway, I'd suppose."

"Kevin!" I growled.

"Aw, stop being a sore loser. Tell you what. I'll give you a rematch, how does that sound?"

"No." I said simply.

"Why not?" He asked curiously.

"Because I don't want to play with cheaters."

"Or…you could be scared."

"Yea," I answered sarcastically, "_that's_ definitely it."

We continued this way until we made it to my house. I let myself in the front door and stomped inside, but I paused when I did not hear Kevin's footsteps behind me. Kevin hesitated in the doorway. "What's your problem now?" I asked him in an irritated voice.

"Are you sure your dad's not here?" He whispered, glancing around nervously.

"I wish he was." I mumbled.

"Seriously…Cynthia. Is he?"

I blinked in shock. Kevin must have trying to be serious, because he had used my full—proper—name. I nodded, before I could find my voice. It was a funny way he said my name.

"Uh, no. He's not. His car isn't here."

"So?" Kevin said.

"So what?" I asked, confused.

"Why does his car need to be here for him to be here? Maybe your mom has it."

"Kevin, trust me. He's not here." I sighed.

"Now come on. Stop being such a baby!"

Just as I knew he would, he reacted. "I'm not a baby!"

"Then come in here!"

Smiling suddenly, he boldly walked in, and didn't even bother to turn around and close my front door. Instead, he kicked it close with his foot, and kept walking foreword. Suddenly he was directly in front of me, so close that I could feel his breath on my face when he whispered, "Is this close enough?"

** REVIEW!**


	8. Short Breaksorry

Okay, so...I promised everyone that I would never quit on one of my stories. So I'm not giving up on this story, but I am just completely NOT into it right now...i'm sorry. So, lets just say...i'm on hold. I'm having major writers block. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to PM me about them :) Meanwhile, my other two stories, _The First Born _and _Abomination_ are still kickin! I should be updating them soon. So, until I post on here again...go read those!

Again, I'm sorry. =|


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